The second annual Water Quality Research Foundation scientific symposium will bring together top scientific, technical and water treatment industry experts for critical conversations on PFAS and other emerging contaminants, water's resilience, and innovative solutions. The WQRF Symposium: Solutions Catalyst is set for March 4 – the day before the WQA Convention & Exposition – in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

Morning sessions will feature education around PFAS, while the afternoon will focus on water's resilience and innovation. The lunchtime keynote is a screening of the premier of the documentary film "Sludge: A PFAS Uprising," followed by attorney Ashley Campbell of Sher-Edling, LLP, offering insights on PFAS litigation throughout the United States. 

"While concerns about emerging contaminants persist, our collective understanding about them continually evolves," said WQRF Board Member Larry Gottlieb, president of ResinTech, emphasizing the importance of gathering diverse voices from the water industry. "Science guides our practices, but dialogue with stakeholders is crucial for comprehensive education, particularly with growing public awareness."

Gottlieb will moderate the event for the second year. Additional featured speakers include the following:

• Andrew Whelton, Ph.D., of Purdue University detailing what he's found in drinking water following the wildfires in Lahaina, HI, the Camp Fire in California, and the train derailment in Ohio
  
  
• Hydrologists Kelly Smalling and Paul Bradley, Ph.D., of the U.S. Geological Survey sharing findings from their eight-year-long PFAS Surveillance project in tap water samples from throughout the U.S.

• Water Council Executive Director Dean Amhaus on the council's National Science Foundation grant-funded Resiliency Innovation Engine

• Former AWWA President Joesph Jacangelo, VP and Director of Research for Stantec, on AWWA's Water 2050 Initiative

Symposium attendees also get a sneak peek at the unveiling of the first winners of the David Loveday Memorial Poster Presentation Contest.  They will enjoy a networking breakfast before the event and follow it with a cocktail hour for more discussion and wrap-up.

Limited seats are available at $425 per person.  Learn more, review the agenda or register on the event website.

The symposium is one of three Pre-Convention Programs offered the day before the kickoff of the WQA Convention & Exposition, March 5-7, also at the Orange County Convention Center. Symposium registration can be stand-alone or added to WQA Convention registration.  Visit wqa.org/convention to register.